


Pat, Pat

by DerpyOlives



Category: Interstellar (2014)
Genre: Cooper needs a hug, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22686082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpyOlives/pseuds/DerpyOlives
Summary: Joseph Cooper, in the literal sense, was stressed as hell. TARS tries to make him feel better.
Relationships: Joseph Cooper & TARS
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Pat, Pat

**Author's Note:**

> Writing really isn't my thing but I was hit with this idea out of nowhere one day and felt as if I had to write it down. I don't really create stories that often but rather draw them out which is probably what I'm going to do but for now, I hope y'all like it. Reviews are appreciated <3

Joseph Cooper, in the literal sense, was stressed as hell. Everything that occurred in the past 24 hours was beginning to take a toll on his mental health. Being awakened, after supposedly being dead, to find yourself on a space habitat that was named after your daughter who was now very much older than you and was dying currently, was a lot to take in given the time. So yes, Cooper was very much stressed.

Cooper headed outside of his house, originally made into a museum during his absence. The sheer thought of it made him feel almost proud but slightly disturbed. How many people have come through here and looked through his personal things? He understood the attempt to preserve such a historical place of Murphy’s upbringing and where she started off and how it led to her scientific breakthrough, but it still made him feel uneasy.

Cooper sat down at the edge of the porch, beer in hand. It was a pitiful attempt of “drowning out your sorrows” but in reality, the alcohol didn’t help as much. Cooper sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples to assuage the oncoming headache. This was too much for him. _Especially at this age_ , he mused to himself to feel better. It wasn’t working.

The sound of the front door opening and closing brought his attention away from his brooding. Cooper glanced to the side and saw TARS making his way over to him.

“Hey Coop, didn’t think I would find you looking like a sorry potato sack out here,” mused TARS.

Cooper didn’t respond. He brought his attention back to the horizon in front of him.

“What? No witty comeback this time? This is very unlike you, Coop.” TARS was met with silence. He looked over the blank expression Cooper displayed. He was fidgeting with the bottle in his hands, seemingly distressed. TARS took notice.

“Hey, you alright Cooper?” asked TARS, his voice dropping into concern. No response. Cooper’s face twitched in what may have been perceived as annoyance. He let his head fall into his hands, his body shaking slightly.

TARS didn’t know what to do. Was it something he said? Cooper usually liked his humor and he made sure to not go too far. Analyzing his previous dialogue, TARS dismissed the thought that it was something he said and deduced it to Cooper being upset.

Cooper was audibly letting out small sounds now. TARS was not programmed with any emotional comforting techniques for his human coworkers. He couldn’t supply any physical comfort either due to the limited range of movement he had. Unless…

Cooper, caught up in his sudden emotional breakdown, failed to realize that TARS had gotten closer to him. It was only until he felt something similar to a metal block touch his head, did he look up startled at his friend.

TARS was taken aback at the state of which Cooper was in. His tear-streaked eyes looked at him in surprise. Cooper had been crying. TARS moved his outstretched probe on top of Cooper’s head up before gently bringing it back down again.

_Pat, pat_

“W-what are you doing, slick?” sniffled Cooper, quickly wiping away his eyes in embarrassment.

“Providing comfort. I read about it from an article that humans often seek comfort in great times of distress. You seem distressed so I’m providing comfort,” he replied, repeating his motion from before.

_Pat pat_

“I’m fine, TARS,” grumbled Cooper, turning away. Why couldn’t he just suffer in peace? “I don’t need comfort.”

“You’re obviously not fine, Coop, or you wouldn’t be crying a river over here.” Cooper scowled at the robot.

“I said I’m fine, TARS, you can stop patting me now,” gritted Cooper. He was beginning to become stressed again. All Cooper wanted to do was be left alone but he was instead playing the role of the patient in a forced therapy session.

“What’s wrong, Cooper? You can talk to me, you know.” TARS genuinely sounded so sincere, that it made Cooper feel guilty.

“I-I don’t want to talk about it…” Cooper trailed off. In reality, he did, but he didn’t really want to share his feelings with TARS.

“Talking about a distressing situation can make you feel better.”

“What are you my therapist?”

“No, but I’m a concerned friend.”

That made Cooper stop. He knew that TARS was his friend but he didn’t think that he was genuinely concerned about him. TARS was a robot, he didn’t really have any feelings, did he?

“I’m just really stressed, with everything that has happened,” said Cooper softly. “It’s just too much to think about right now and it’s making my head hurt.”

_Pat pat_

“I understand. It must be hard now since your separation with Brand.”

That hit a nerve. Cooper started to tear up again, curling in on himself to hide his face.

“Woah Coop, hold on, I’m trying to make you feel better not worse.”

“It’s not you, slick,” Cooper whispered. “It’s me. I’ve been thinking about Brand along with everything else and it’s making me feel worse.”

There was a silence between the two, the only audible thing heard where the muffled cries of Cooper. TARS continued to pat Cooper’s head.

_Pat pat_

“I’m just…I miss Brand…and…I’m worried for her. She’s all alone out there and I can’t stop thinking that this is all my fault,” said Cooper, wiping his eyes against the side of his arm.

“She’s not alone, Coop. CASE is with her.”

“Yeah but it’s only a matter of time that she can last without another human to seek comfort with before she goes mad…”

“Are you implying something, Coop?”

“Shut up TARS, you know what I mean.”

TARS chuckled a bit, the sound making Cooper slightly smile. “Yeah, but Brand is strong, she’ll know what to do.”

“But I just can’t stop thinking this is my fault,” Cooper admitted sadly.

“How so?”

“We’re here with other people, a place to call home, but she’s somewhere else, alone with nobody else except CASE. I feel as if I somehow got the better end of the deal and I gave her the crappy option.”

“We didn’t know at the time that we would make it out of the tesseract alive, Coop.”

“Yeah, but-“

“No, Coop, you didn’t know. I didn’t even know. You did the right thing in the moment and gave Brand the ability to live and start a new civilization in the circumstance that humanity was truly gone. Brand should be fine, she will know what to do.”

That shut Cooper up. He looked back down at his hands with the bottle he was fiddling with and put the bottle next to him. TARS resumed patting him again.

_Pat pat_

“You don’t need to keep doing that, you know,” said Cooper absentmindedly.

“It seemed to work in making you feel better,” TARS replied.

A pause. Cooper leaned back against TARS’ frame, looking up towards the curled sky. Oh, how things have changed here. He didn’t think he could get used to it. Cooper didn’t have to. He knew what he needed to do.

“I guess it did, slick,” Cooper smiled.


End file.
